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Trending: Political influencers for hire – in Kenya

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Political influencers for hire – in Kenya

10/09/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - Trending, Political influencers for hire – in Kenya

Meet the Kenyan influencers being offered cash for political messages.

Meet the online influencers – from students to pop stars – who were offered cash for political messages ahead of Kenya’s general election.

Ahead of Kenya’s general election, a bitter war for public opinion was being fought on social media. In a bid to sway the result, online influencers – from students to pop stars – were offered cash in exchange for political messages. Critics say that paid political messages are swamping social media – but they aren’t declared as adverts, and instead they pose as genuine political opinion. We meet some of the key players in the country’s online information economy:
micro-influencers, musicians and bigtime strategists explain their role in the controversial industry. And we hear from researchers who think the practice could be corroding democratic debate in Kenya.

Reporters: Jack Goodman and Peter Mwai
Editor: Flora Carmichael

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